Automatic door-operating mechanism



Oct. 7, 1924. 1,511,012

B. R. ADKlNs ET Al.

AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Oct. 7, 1924. 1,511,012

B. R. ADKlNs ET AL AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 6, 1923 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oei;- 7' 1924.

l l511,012 B. R. ADKINS ET AL AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Dec. e. 192:5

3 Sheets-sheet 3 3,7 @x1/MW M7 im M Patented Oct. 7, 1924. f

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJ'AJIIITy RATCLIFFE AD'INS, OF UPPER WAELINGHAM, AND WILLIAM YORATH LEWIS, OF'SDUTHEND-ON-SEA, ENGLAND.

AUTOMATIC DOUE-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Appiication filed December 6, 1923. Serial No. 679,013.

To all'wkom t may concern:

B it known that we, BENJAMIN RAT- CLIFFE ADKINs and WILLIAM YoRA'rH Lewis. both subjects of the'King of England, and residing, respectively, at Upper Warlingham, Surrey, in England, and Southend-on- Sea, Essex, in England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Door-Operating Mechanism, of whichthe following is. a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for operating vehiclel doors or gates automatically, and is more particularly intended for Y use on passenger vehicles such as railway carriages 0r lifts, although generally applicable to all vehicles, movable alongl fixed tracks.-

The primary object of the invention is to provide a door or gate for suchy a vehicle, which Will-automatically open or close when required, as for example in the case of a railway carriage doer when thevtrain enters or leaves ar station A Vfurther object is to avoid risk of accidents which may occur as the result of the forcedvclosing of. a positive-ly( actuated automatic door.

In the automatic door-operating mechanism according to the-present invention a door or gate is adapted to be opened or closed1 by means of a' lever mechanism, which isoperated b-y the engagement of a roller with the surface of a fixed ramp or cam track, past which the vehicle moves. The ramp or cam is preferably disposed on that side of the vehicle track which is remote fromthe doors to be operated. In this case the roller is conveniently carried on an arm mounted on a shaft,.which is disposed transversely across the vehicle and by rotation of which the lever mechanism is operated. l

The length of the operative surface of the cam track or ramp is preferably such that the doorror gate is positively movedk thereby only for a portionof its travel, the

remaining motion. of the door taking` place under the actionvof gravity or of. a spring, which may inseme` instances be: employed A with advanta e on gate n e. pivoted. aboutV a horizontal satis eri pivobed arms, on which the levermechanism acts.

The invention may be carried'into practice in. various. ways4 and two; prefr-rindv conof alink Dito one arm E 1 trackv For. this purpose the door,

may besupiported on (meerifore` structions for use with railway carriage doors or gates are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which-n Figure l is a side elevation of a railway carriage showing one construction,

Figure 2 is an end elevation, partly in section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing` the cam tracks for opening and closing the doors, and

Figure 4 shows another construction in side elevation. n y i Inthe construction shown in Figures l and 2 the gatevconsists of two bars A A rotatably mounted on horizontal pivot pins A carried respectively on lugs B projecting vfrom the; door posts B, the inner` ends of the bars A restingv (when the gate is closed) on shoulders C onoa central supportingV postl C. Rigidly connectedto each gate bar A on the other side of. its pivot pin A isl a short lever arm A?, whichis connected by means V of a two-armed lever pivoted at near the bottom ofthe carriage frame. The otherarm 4E2 ofthis leverf is connected Aby means of a rod Fito the corresp'ondingarmI E2 ofy the ytwo-armed lever on the other side of the'doorway,`this connecting rod F being disposed below thc floor of the carriage.r At a point G intermediate in its length the connecting rod F has pivotedto it a third lever arm G mounted on a shaft H lying transversely acrossthc vehicle. The shaft H is in line with the two pivotsE E of thetwo-armed levers and the three lever arms E? E2 G to which the rod F is connected are all of the same length, so that the rod can only move parallel to itself. At its far end on the other side of the carriage the shaft H has mounted on it an arm J carrying a small roller J. Thisv roller J projects fromv the carriage in suchV a osition as to engage a fixed cam or K2 disposed adjacent to the main track. Y

Thus when the roller J engagesthe cam track the shaft H is rotated' causing the lever arm. G at its other end to rock and move the connecting rod F. `Thislin its turn rocks the two-armed levers E E2 about their pivots E', and their motion is transmitted through the links D to the short lever arms A2 connected tothe gate bars A, thus-effect- The surface of the cam track, with which the roller J engages, is shaped according to the requirements of the railway system, so that it slopes in one direction, say an upslope as shown at K in Figure 3, when it is required to open the gate and in the other direction-a downslope Kz-when the gate is to be closed. In the case of the downslope K2 it is necessary that the roller J'should engage on the underside of the surface, in order that it should be positively actuated thereby.

The length of each operative downslope K2 of the cam track is made insufiicient completely to effect the closing of the gate, so that the gate is positively actuated only for a portion of its travel. After the gate has thus been partially closed, it completes its course under its own weight or by the assistance of a spring if required. A counterweight L or spring may also be provided in a convenient position (as shown on an arm L integral with the arm J) to balance the weight of the levers, links, and other moving parts of the mechanism so that the gate or door does not come to rest in its closed position too violently. This arrangement prevents the risk of serious injury for example to a passenger who is still in the doorway when the gate is being closed. A similar arrangement may also be provided for the opening of the gate if desired, the length of each upslope K of the cam track being made shorter than is required completely to effect the opening of the gate. The balance of the moving parts and prevention of the gate from coming too violently to rest in its opened position may similarly be eected by the employment of a counterweight or spring, which may in somb instances, as in the case illustrated, be the same one L used for the closing operation, thus serving both purposes.

Other forms of gate or door may be employed, if desired. Thus, for example, if it is required completely to close the. doorway, two doors may be employed, each door being pivotally supported on one or more horizontally pivoted supporting arms. This arrangement is shown in Figure 4, in which each door M is carried on two parallel arms N O of equal length, one of these arms N being actuated in a manner similar to that already described for the gate bars A in the construction shown in Figures 1 3, whilst the other arm O is pivotedto the frame of the carriage at a convenient point O. The arms N are pivoted at N near the floor of the carriage and have lever arms N2 rigidly connected to them. These arms N2 are connected by means of rods P to two of the arms Q Q of a three armed lever pivoted at Q2. The third arm Q3 of this lever carries a roller R which engages with the cam track S. In this construction it will be noticed thaty the cam track S is onthe same side of the main vehicle track as the doors of the carriage, but if desired the cam track may be disposed on the other side. In this case the lever Q Q would be mounted on a shaft passing across the vehicle and carrying a roller arm at its far end, as in the construction shown in Figures 1-3.

Thus when the roller R engages an upslope of the cam track S, the lever Q Q Q3 will be rocked about its pivot Q2 and'will act through the rods P to move the arms N about their pivots. Owing to the fact that the two arms N and O for each door are parallel to one another and are of the same length, they will act as a parallelogram linkage when the roller R engages the cam track S, and each door will move parallel to itself about the two pivots N and O. As in the previous construction, the cam track S is provided with a downslope, on the lower surface of which the roller R engages to close the doors, and the sloping parts of the cam track are of a length insufficient completely to etfect the opening or closing of the doors, the last portion of the travel of the'doors being eected under their own weight.

The invention has been described primarily with reference to doublel gates or doors closing from the sides of the doorway towards the centre, but single doors or gates may be employed if desired. Moreover it is not necessary to the invention that the doors should be pivoted about horizontal axes. Thus for example sliding doors or gates may be employed.

A separate roller may be provided for the operation of each door or gate, or alternatively a single roller may be employed to actuate a number of doors simultaneously.

It will be understood that the particular arrangements described have been given by way of example only and that considerable modiiications may be made in the construc-v tional details without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus for example the cam track may lie Wholly in a. horizontal plane and may slope towards the left or right to eect opening and closing.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In automatic door-operating mechanism for use in vehicles movable along fixed tracks, the combination of a door mounted' to swing about a horizontal pivot, alever mechanism adapted to move the door about ifts pivot, a roller operatively connected to such mechanism, and a fixed -cam track having two operative portions sloping in opposite directions, the roller .being adapted to engage with the surface of one operative portion to 4effect the opening ofy the door and with the surface of the other operative portion to effect the closing of the door, the length of each operative portion being such that the door is positively moved thereby only for a. portion of its travel in either direction as set forth.

2. In automatic door-operating mecha nism for use in vehicles movable along fixed tracks, the combination of a plurality of doors mounted to svving about horizontal pivots, a lever mechanism adapted to operate each door, a shaft which is disposed transversely across the vehicle and by rotation of which the lever mechanisms are actuated, an arm mounted on the end of the shaft remote from the doors to be operated, a roller carried by this arm, and a fiXed cam; track past which the vehicle moves and With the surface of which the roller engages in such a manner as to rock the shaft and thereby to operate the doors, the length of an operative portion of the surface of the cam track being such that the doors are positively moved thereby only for a portion of their travel as set forth.

3. ln automatic door-*operating mechanism for use in vehicles movable along fixed tracks, the combination of a plurality of horizontally pivoted arms, a door mounted thereon so as to be movable about the horizontal pivots, a lever mechanism adapted to move `the door about its pivots, a roller operatively connected to such mechanism, and a fixed cam track having two operative portions sloping in opposite directions, the roller being adapted to engage with the surface of one operative portion to effect the opening of the door and with the surface of the other operative portion to effect the closing of the door, the length of each operative portion being such that the door is positively moved thereb only for a portion of its travel in either direction, the remaining motion of the door taking place under the action of gravity as set forth.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification.

BENJAMIN RATCLIFFE ADKINS.

WILLIAM YORATH LEWIS. 

